Le Comte Ory opens Sunday, November 13

View Le Comte Ory images here

CHICAGO (11/11/2022) – Comedy takes center stage at Lyric Opera of Chicago, as Rossini’s uproarious opera Le Comte Ory makes its Lyric premiere for five performances only, November 13–26, 2022.

One of Rossini’s hidden gems, Le Comte Ory follows the exploits of the mischievous Count Ory as he concocts a wildly misguided plan to sweep a lonely Countess off her feet. The opera is an effervescent spectacle full of nonstop humor and hijinks performed by a stellar cast of Lyric audience favorites, including Lawrence Brownlee, Kathryn Lewek, Kayleigh Decker, and Joshua Hopkins.

Lyric Music Director Enrique Mazzola leads the Lyric Opera Orchestra in giving life to Rossini’s lush melodies. In fact, Mazzola leads performances of Le Comte Ory in repertory with performances of Verdi’s Don Carlos, a challenge few conductors undertake. The opening performance of Le Comte Ory on Sunday afternoon, November 13, immediately follows a performance of Don Carlos on Saturday evening, November 12.

Mazzola is joined by accomplished stage director Kathleen Smith Belcher, who leads Lyric’s starry cast in an original production from the Metropolitan Opera by Bartlett Sher.

Lyric invites audiences to fall in love with the biggest comic opera of the season. Leave your habit at the door! Le Comte Ory runs for 5 performances only, through November 26.

View Le Comte Ory images here

Please utilize Lyric Opera's online press room, where you can easily access the latest images, artwork, and video files, plus press releases—all in one place. We've introduced a password-protected area within the press room to enable media access to images.

A high-resolution video trailer will soon be available on Lyric's YouTube channel.

Read the Le Comte Ory digital program book

Performance dates for Le Comte Ory are November 13 matinee, 16 matinee, 18, 22, and 26, 2022. All performances take place at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago.

Le Comte Ory is sung in French, with English translations projected above the stage.

Running time is 2 hours and 40 minutes, including one intermission.

For tickets and information, call 312.827.5600 or go to lyricopera.org/ory.

Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by the following members of the Enrique Circle: Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, and Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.

The Enrique Circle is comprised of Lyric's most dedicated supporters who are committed to championing Maestro Enrique Mazzola's exciting artistic vision and legacy.

Lyric's presentation of Rossini's Le Comte Ory is generously made possible by Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, and the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.

Lyric Opera's Season is presented by

About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO Anthony Freud, Music Director Enrique Mazzola, and Special Project Advisor Renée Fleming, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists—magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

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